Canon T7i vs 77D : Which Should You Buy?

If you want a camera that can take sharp, vibrant, high-quality photos and video, go with the T7i. If you’re interested in photography and learning to be a better photographer, then get the 77D.

The Canon 77D and T7i bodies with 18-135mm IS USM and STM lenses attached.

Canon 77D and T7i: Any Differences Inside?

The high degree of similarity between Canon’s two new cameras, the Rebel T7i and 77D, is obscured by their names; the previous generations of these two cameras were called the Rebels T6i and T6s. It seems that Canon has deliberately attempted to make these cameras appear more different than they really are: in their original press release, Canon only mentioned that the 77D features anti-flicker technology, and the term “anti-flicker” is completely absent from the T7i feature-list page on Canon USA’s current website. However, both cameras share the exact same metering sensor and anti-flicker technology (as can easily be seen by downloading the T7i PDF manual, p.179).

So what are the real differences between these cameras? Let’s take a closer look.

The last few generations of Canon DSLRs in the x0D and Rebel lines.

The Major Specs

Before we get into the details, take a look at the general specs for these two cameras. Differences are highlighted in green.

As you can see, the cameras are practically identical, internally. The Canon 77D simply does not have any major features that the T7i lacks, though the built-in interval timer on the 77D will certainly come in handy for those who shoot time-lapse work. The cameras are otherwise identical. They use the same processor and sensor, so with the same settings, there will be no difference in imagequality between the T7i and 77D. But that doesn’t mean that the table above tells the whole story.

Body Differences

So where are the differences between the two cameras? They’re all in the body and control layout. The Canon 77D has three main body features that the T7i lacks:

top LCD panel

rear quick-control thumb dial

eye-proximity sensor (turns off rear LCD when you hold camera near your face)

dedicated thumb-button for focus (for action photographers)

The top LCD gives users quick access to their main exposure settings (shutter speed, aperture, ISO), battery level, and image count. This can be very useful for photographers who don’t use a full-automatic shooting mode, but since the information can also be accessed via the quick-info button on the rear LCD, it is somewhat less important than it once was. For photographers who grew up using autofocus film SLRs and cultivated a habit of using the top LCD it remains an important feature.

Top view of the 77D and T7i. The top-mounted LCD on the 77D provides quick access to the camera’s exposure settings.

The rear quick-control dial is used to quickly control exposure compensation (how bright or dark your image is), perhaps the most important feature in separating beginners from advanced photographers. While both cameras do provide exposure compensation, only the Canon 77D has quick access to it by default (without pressing buttons or entering menus). When would you use this? In strong back-lighting situations, camera auto-exposures will frequently under-expose the subject, creating a silhouette or at least deep shadows on the subject (eg, a person standing in front of a sunset, against a bright sky, etc). The opposite may also occur, and your subject may be blown out when he or she is in bright light but the background is dark. This dial lets you quickly correct the camera’s mistakes, if you know how to use it. The images below were shot with a different camera, but all required exposure compensation to some degree.

Highlighted here in green, the Canon 77D offers a quick control dial in place of the T7i’s control-pad buttons. Also note the rectangular eye-sensor above the viewfinder of the 77D.

I shot this image with the exposure compensation set to -2 as the dancer stepped into the sunlight from a dark shadow in order to keep the highlight side of her face from blowing out and to keep the background dark. Shot with Canon 5D Mark III.

Here I shot at +2 to keep the skater from going completely black against the bright sky. Shot with 5D Mark III.

In this generally dark image, I shot at -1 on the exposure compensation scale to keep the heron’s white face from becoming too bright and losing detail. Shot with 5D Mark III.

The proximity sensor may be handy for photographers who frequently use live-view, or frequently switch between shooting video and stills, and want to save a little bit of their battery’s juice.

Finally, the 77D has a dedicated back-focusing button for those photographers who want to use their thumb to start AF operation and only use the shutter button to take photos. This is popular with sports photographers, and is getting more popular with portrait photographers as well.

Conclusion: Which Camera is Right for You?

If you’re looking to buy a new Canon T7i or Canon 77D and can’t decide which way to go, here’s how I’d look at it: if you’re interested in a camera that can take sharp, vibrant, high-quality photos and video, go with the T7i. If you’re interested in photography and learning to be a better photographer (and those high-quality images), then get the 77D. Both cameras will give you the same performance and the same image quality. The only difference is in how much easy control you’ll get over your camera’s advanced features.

And more generally, my advice is always this: buy the least expensive camera that will meet your needs, and buy the best lenses that you can afford. High quality lenses will make a larger difference in your photography, and they retain their value much better than camera bodies.

Looking for the best lens for your area of interest? Feel free to ask for recommendations below.

26 Comments

trying to decide between t7i and 77d at same cost when upgrading from t3i…doing landscape photography and have somewhat arthritic hands so weight can be issue so ruled out 80 d. Price is same for today…any input?

Ok so at my age and stage in life at 63 though still actively hiking and shooting … go w 77 d. Use the Tamron 16-300 lens mostly and have wide angle lens Batteries seen to be problem as don’t go with other bodies and they are expensive if don’t get as many pics per battery

If you’ve read the article above, you know the differences between the T7i and 77D (in the body/controls), so let me tell you briefly what is different between the T6i and the T7i, and you should have the full picture.

Really, the differences between the T6i and T7i are pretty minimal. Most important is the fact that the T7i has a better autofocus system with 45 AF points (the T6i had 19), the T7i has anti-flicker, and it has better AF in live view (dual pixel AF) and image stabilization when shooting video. Oh, and it can shoot 6fps, a bit faster than the T6i’s 5 fps. There’s a nominal difference in the top ISO, but no practical difference in performance.

Go for the 77d if u are really interested in photography. The kit lens 18-135 is very good for everyday photos. You can even get the 50 mm 1.8 . Just follow what Matthew says – basic camera and the most expensive lens which you can afford. I recently got the 100 mm macro and the results are superb .Slowly you can build up on your collection of lenses as your interest grows. You can also rent a particular lens before making an actual purchase.best of luck and keep on clicking.

Hi Rob, Yes! The T7i sounds perfect for that type of video and photography work. If you want the same functionality in a smaller package, the Canon M series cameras are good, too… the M5 is my favorite but more expensive than the T7i. – Matthew

The EF-S 18-55 is a basic (read bottom) lens that is adequate. It does a good job but isn’t the best lens by a long shot. Most people would be very happy with the quality of the lens.

As a starter lens for a DSLR, you’re in good place. I would rate the EF-S 18-135 as a better choice for a basic lens. And life only gets better after this.

BTW, I have almost 10,000 shots on my 80D. I used the articulating screen once. I wanted a shot of my subject back-lighted against the sky and I needed the camera lower than I was willing to bend over. Knowing it is there if I need it is reassuring, but not a deal breaker.

Great article. Helped a lot in solidifying my decision. I’m going with the 77D and was wondering what you think about the kit lens that comes with it, specifically, the EF-S 18-135mm IS USM Lens. Are there better options? Thank you. Ken

The 18-135 STM is a great lens for every-day shooting. It’s sharp, and it covers a very useful zoom range. There are many better lenses for specific tasks, but they’re going to be considerably more expensive. For example, a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens will be even sharper and will let in about 4 times more light, but will cost at least $1200 (the Tamron G2 is probably the best option on the market right now, in terms of performance/value). It also won’t cover the wide-angle range of the zoom that the kit lens would. Similarly, an 85mm or 50mm f/1.4 lens will let in 16x as much light as the 18-135 STM (at f/5.6), and will be incredibly sharp with a shallower depth of field, which is popular for portraits. But it won’t zoom at all, and they cost anywhere from $350-1000. So, I think the 18-135mm is a good place to start, and you can add additional lenses for specific purposes as you need them.

I was wondering what lenses would go well with the T7i? As of now, I have a 10-24mm tamron lens, the kit lens, and a 50-200 canon lens. I would like to get a more well rounded lens maybe something like a 16-35. Do you have any other recommendations or would that lens be fine?

Hi Kyle, The 16-35mm lenses that Canon makes are intended for full-frame sensors, so they’ll be heavy and expensive, generally speaking. For a full frame sensor, it’s typical for photojournalists (who need to be prepared for a lot of situations) to carry a 24-70 and a 70-200. On the T7i, a rough equivalent of the 24-70 would be a 17-50 or 17-55mm. Sigma makes a nice 17-50 f/2.8 OS HSM that is relatively inexpensive and has great optics. Canon’s 17-55 f/2.8 is slightly sharper at f/2.8, but the same everywhere else, and considerably more expensive. Tamron also makes one, and it’s good, but I don’t have as much experience with it.

But, that’s about the same range as your kit lens… it just lets in a lot more light, and with better image quality.

There are lots of options for good lenses out there, so it really depends on what you want to do with them.

In general, the SL2 is a nice little camera with most of the features of the T7i/77D. The sensor and image quality are going to be the same. The biggest difference (other than size) is that the SL2 only has a 9-point AF system while the T7i has a more sophisticated 45 point AF system. It shoots a little slower, too (5 frames per second rather than 6).

Yes, the SL2 has high-speed sync, AND the built-in pop-up flash can be used as a commander for flashes not attached to the camera.

Hi, As I understand, the viewfinder in SL2 is larger (as some earlier Rebel models like T2i ) than in T7i/77D. A bit hard to understand the rational for this? Personally, I value the viewfinder size as one of the most important factors when using a camera.

There is a minimal difference, yes… the SL2 is .87x rather than .82x, and they both use pentamirrors rather than prisms. The difference is not really noticeable (to me), and probably stems from a slightly different distance between the components due to the difference in camera body size. (Both are better than cameras like the Nikon D750 and D810, that have a .70x magnification level).

Hi Trixie, That’s right… the T7i and 77D do support high-speed sync. This is properly a function of the flash, not the camera, so the only reason that the D5600 doesn’t support it is because Nikon doesn’t want to give away too much in their less expensive cameras. It’s pretty disappointing… but then, all of the camera manufacturers do that with the shutter speed (my old Canon EOS A2 had 1/8000th sec shutter speed back in 1994, and the camera just cost a few hundred dollars. Canon and Nikon could easily put a comparable or better shutter module in all of their cameras). – Matthew

Thanks, really helpfull:) The M5 was mentioned as an even more lightweight alternative to 77D. Do you think I should consider the M5 as well? The sigma 100-400 is only 1100g, will the M5 grip be fine ergonomically? AF speed? As I understand, the Sigma AF performance is not as good as Canons much more expensive 100-400 alternatives, but hopefully good enough for my needs as an enthusiast:) I do have a collection of EFM leses (11-22, 22, 18-55) that also would benefit from an upgrade to M5, as a bonus.

I’ve only spent a few hours playing around with the M5, and I haven’t tested it with a supertelephoto… not even a Canon. To me, the AF seemed just as fast and accurate as an SLR, but I didn’t test it rigorously. I think it would feel pretty weird attached to a large lens, but I’m sure you’d get used to it. I guess that’s all just to say: I don’t know. It seems like a good option from my limited testing, but that’s about all I can say.

Hi Matt, Thanks for a good summary. I was wandering how 77D would compare to 80D? I intend to use the camera with the new sigma 100-400 lens, that I just bought primarely to get a low cost, light weight and capable system for wildlife and nature photography. I have an 5Dmk2 also, but want the additional reach, and possibly a more modern AF. Right now, I have only tested the sigma lens with my old eos m, and I am really amazed by the optical quality of the instrument, even @ 400mm. Color rendering, contrast and sharpness are all superb. AF is of course not up to DSLR standard. So, would I miss a lot by going with the cheaper and lighter 77D instead of 80D?

That said, I don’t think that you’d lose out on much with the 77D, although you’ll be limited to 1/4000th second, which may come into play if you’re shooting wildlife, but 1/4000th is probably just fine for anything. I have the Sigma 150-600 and I’ve had mixed results, incidentally. I’m looking forward to spending some time with the 100-400.